Four Ways to Spell I Love You
by BloodyXXRose
Summary: Ciel had never liked Valentine's Day, despite having someone whom he absolutely adored by his side. Will he change his mind after this special someone takes him through a scavenger hunt of love and admittance? SebastianxCiel


I actually got the idea for this from Lemony Snickets: A Series of Unfortunate Events (I was rereading it). I was rereading The Vile Village, and came across the part where the Quagmires used couplets to guide the Baudelaires to the fountain in order to rescue them. I was also in the mood to write some Valentine's Day goodiness, thus this babeh was born!

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><p><em>"Four Ways to Spell I Love You"<em>

_SebastianxCiel_

_BloodyXXRose_

Jubilant murmurs and content sighs echoed throughout the dense hallways, useless prattle stemming from young adolescent's mouths. Ciel felt his stomach sift in slight disgust as a particular girl giggled to her group of friends about the wonderful trinkets she was positive her boyfriend would cosset her with. Ciel hated the stuffy feeling every time he walked into his high school, as if the air was polluted by the guileless ramblings that hung like deadened lies.

A flash of pink and red caught his eye. He quickly sped up his strides as he walked through the hallways, trying to endeavor the way to his locker. He had always disliked his school- there was absolutely nothing substantial or even adequately educational to uphold. The cafeteria food was processed and comparable to dog food, and Ciel often found himself skipping lunch just to avoid the chance of catching food poisoning. Which earned painful growls of yearned concoctions from his stomach during the afternoon.

Yes, he had always disliked his school- and today was no exception. The noisy buzz of sweet nothings would fill the halls, drowning out his ears as they become numb from the useless chatter. The lunch food would have a special lunch item consisting of frivolous design, no doubt pertaining to the "holiday" that today was. He rolled his eyes as he finally reached his locker, spotting a junior holding red heart shaped balloons and standing by his girlfriend's locker, waiting for her to arrive so he could surprise her with cheap romanticism. Ciel definitely **hated** this day.

Valentine's Day.

The entire frenzy of this seemingly "phenomenal" day was absolutely baffling to him. If you truly loved someone, why would you pick a man-made holiday that was created in the name of a law-breaking pacifist to adorn your supposed beloved with affections and endowments? Why not obtain a speck of innovation and show your other half that you loved them in your own unique way, instead of complying to a humane vie?

He couldn't even believe he showed up to school. He should have just stayed in his dormitory and brushed up on his studies; after all, he did have a huge test coming up for his pre-calculus. As of right now, he could be sitting comfortably in his dormitory study room, swiveling back and forth as he contemplated a well thought out mathematical problem; content silence abound.

Ah, but then he wouldn't see _him_… Sebastian.

Ciel was a bit younger than the juniors in his grade. He had just turned sixteen in December, whereas the majority of his class were turning seventeen. He was always very intellectual and had managed to skip a grade, causing the minor age gap. Sebastian had just celebrated his birthday also, turning nineteen. He had gotten a late start in his schooling years and was seen more as a man than a senior in the eyes of the student population.

They met a little over a year ago in the most brogue of ways, nothing particularly special. They were both in a tutoring program- Sebastian was tutoring sixth graders; Ciel tutoring fourth. As Ciel looked back on the situation, he concluded that it was inevitable that they would meet. They had to. They were both so alike; so compatible, it was as if they were made for one another.

His personality was akin to that of ice; seemingly cold and uncaring; but torpidly quenching on the inside. Sebastian was more like an ablaze fire; impish and passionate to the core- although he never lied. When put together, they formed a coexisting presence, one nothing without the other. Ever since their eyes met at the tutoring program, they had been inseparable ever since. Ciel was never one to depend on anyone else, he had always been quite the loner and had carried on just fine. Sebastian was no exception; he saw no reason to be a nuisance to the man he adored.

But as their lips would draw together when they parted at the end of the long school day, shivers would send up his spine; effectively activating a hunger to be relying and dependent deep within him.

Ciel scowled as he twisted the locker combination into the small dial; wondering where that troublesome tease was. Normally Sebastian would be standing by his locker every morning, waiting for him to get to school. After he relinquished to Sebastian halfway into their relationship that he hated walking alone in the hallways, Sebastian made it a point to always be there when he arrived at school to accompany him. Ciel had accepted this with solemnity, not wanting to admit he was secretly grateful for this gesture… and to see Sebastian waiting patiently for him everyday, warm and welcoming arms outstretched towards him.

…What would Sebastian do on such a day as this?

Would he surprise Ciel with sweets- his absolute favorite- and decadently place each one in his waiting mouth as Ciel has seen other couples do? Would he spend the entire night before this day concocting a romantic picnic, making sure the weather was permeable enough to suit Ciel's high standards? Would he kiss him passionately as he had seen partners do so shamelessly in the open hallways and classrooms, and not take in mind Ciel's embarrassed protests?

Ciel paused mid dial and shook his head back and forth, dismissing these errant thoughts. Sebastian was quixotic, but in his own way. The way Sebastian curved his lips in pleasure whenever Ciel's cheeks turned scarlet; how he would wrap his arm around Ciel's waist to pull him closer and whisper loving words into his waiting ear; the way his long eyelashes would flutter against Ciel's placid skin as their lips connected for a brief or long period of time. These were all examples of Sebastian's everyday nature, and to be frank Ciel was certain Sebastian wasn't going to do anything special- he already does enough for him, really. It would be completely illogical to do more than one is needed to do… right?

Ciel heaved back a sigh and lifted up the hatch of the locker. He blinked as he gazed upon a plain white Post-It note sticking to the inside door of his locker. Eyes narrowing as he recognized the ornate cursive writing right away, he quickly snatched it from the interior. Ciel hastily looked around both ways, making sure nobody else was looking. He bit his lip in trepidation and spread out the paper, peering at the message inside.

_Isn't it od__**d**__, h__**o**__w we fi__**r**__st __**m**__et? _

_Listening to the teacher's lectures was absolutely drawling, so we dec__**i**__ded to __**t**__alk to one an__**o**__the__**r**__; both of us slightly leer__**y**__. _

His mouth slightly popped open, wondering what the bloody hell was wrong with Sebastian- what could possibly cause him to write an odd couplet such as this? Sebastian himself was very fond of literature, and always made careful note not to make any grammatical or sentence structural flaws, yet here he was.

Ciel's eyes peered at the darkened words, cocking his head to the side in confusion. It made no sense for these particular letters to be bolded, as if they were to spell out a fragmental phra- he gasped slightly as he gazed upon the randomly capitalized letters, piecing two and two together.

_Dormitory._

He could feel his heart hammering unevenly in his chest; whether it was from excitement or agitation he was unsure of. He grabbed his needed books and slammed his locker, walking hastily throughout the halls and pushing through the cluster of love-struck adolescents. He strode outside of the school building once again, ignoring the rain that was beginning to pour from the disdainful ashen clouds. Ciel's feet tapped against the damp sidewalk as he bolted across the lawn and into the open entryway of the dormitories- secretly glad to be sheltered from the precipitation.

He panted as he slipped his damp shoes off, small droplets of water running down his thick charcoal locks. Walking past the bulletin board, he was automatically going towards Sebastian's dorm room- when another dastardly Post-It note caught his eye.

"Shit!" Ciel cursed and seized the note in his grip, abruptly ripping it off the board. Out of _all _the places…! Why would Sebastian put this note somewhere in public, what if someone were to see-?

A memory hit Ciel; one of Sebastian vehemently reprimanding him after they had gone shopping at the local mall together. Ciel was hungry, but Sebastian needed to grab a few supplies for his art class. Ciel insisted heatedly that he could find his way back to the food court, and would order both him and Sebastian food and beverages and hold a table. As soon as he departed from Sebastian's side, he found himself wandering aimlessly throughout the mall, trying to spot out a map guide from the thick mesh of passersby and side stores.

Finally, two hours and fifteen minutes later, Sebastian had found him sitting haughtily on a bench by the bookstore, seething to himself as he failed to locate the damn food court. He had walked up to Ciel fluidly, taking time to take in his adorable scowl. Sebastian stood in front of the latter for a few moments, until he finally scowled in defeat to the elder male.

"This isn't what is looks like!" Ciel huffed and crossed his arms. He could feel his cheeks heat up in contradictory. "I just decided to wait for you to get your art supplies… I didn't want to eat without you, because that would be rude. So be thankful." A warm smile spread throughout Sebastian's face at this jest, and Ciel found himself slightly surprised by the odd reaction. Sebastian never smiled. He smirked, snickered, and simpered…. But never "smiled". Each of his unjust grins pertained to his masochistic essence, and Ciel was left dumbstruck at the sudden divine happiness he was now waning.

Sebastian's smile then slowly faded away into a scowl, as if the entire joust of joviality was contrived. His tender grin seemed to be no thicker than morning mist as he proceeded to reprimand Ciel about his wretched sense of direction. He scoffed, saying that the younger male should never try to find something unless it is placed right in front of him. Quick to protest, Ciel stubbornly complied after gazing into the man's now cold ember eyes. He idly wondered why Sebastian had just looked at him with such love.

Ciel jutted his lip from the embarrassing memory and unclenched his hands from the now crumbled note.

_Obviousl__**y**__, y__**ou**__ are still not ve__**r**__y good at directions, although I can't complain about your __**b**__latancy._

_Veh__**e**__mently searching for me, hoping to fin__**d **__me throughout the c__**ro**__wd of pe__**o**__ple… it is quite char__**m**__ing._

He clicked his tongue in displeasure, taking note of Sebastian's relentless teasing. He would be sure to make him pay later. He linked the words together once again, and was utterly puzzled when they formed an odd sequence.

_Yourb_

_Edroom_

Ciel puckered his eyebrow in confusion and eyed the words incredulously. What the bloody hell did "Yourb edroom" possibly mean- Oh. He pressed a hand to his forehead as he felt his face heat up in momentary chagrin, silently scolding his sluggish state of mind. Taking another gander at the couplet, he could now easily discern what it read.

_Your Bedroom._

Ciel could feel blood rush in the back of his ears, drowning out his heart palpitations. Would Sebastian be waiting for him.. in his bedroom? He shook his head back and forth, denying these obtrusive notions and successfully shying away the unwanted water droplets that still hung from his hair. He contracted his grip on the note and stuffed it into his pocket. Bolting upright, he sprinted for his bedroom chambers, his heart swelling in anticipation and his need to see Sebastian increasing.

Ciel reached his bedroom chamber after moments of running up the seemingly never-ending staircase and through a series of finely mapped corridors. He flung the door open and looked about his room for Sebastian or perhaps another clue, his heart still beating unevenly from overexertion.

Ciel would be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying himself. His mind was now on a constant edge; an adrenaline rush, wondering what cryptic message Sebastian would forsake now.

He gazed around the room and looked at the clipping he had posted to his laptop screen, a Post-It note not there. Ciel looked in his computer chair and on top of his journals, and found absolutely nothing either. He even went so far as to looking under his bed and pulling out his mattress in heated attempts to find the next clue. When he came up with naught, he stood exasperated for a moment, then grimly plopped onto his bed, giving up for the time being.

Ciel smiled as the sun from his overhead window grazed his eyelids, sending lukewarm heat to course throughout his chilled bones. He realized errantly that this was most likely a Valentine's Day gift organized by Sebastian, the mischievous imp. Sebastian knew how much Ciel liked games and decided to send him on a little expedition. Even as Ciel thought about how foolish the entire concept of Sebastian setting up a generic scavenger hunt was, he couldn't help but feel his cheeks spark as euphoric emotions overcame him. Even if the entire thing was silly and unneeded, Sebastian took the time to devise each couplet and hide them in sneaky places. He took the time to challenge Ciel's mind; and for that Ciel was slightly touched.

He turned to bury his head into his pillow, only to hear a slight crinkle of paper from the sudden shift of weight. Ciel quirked an eyebrow and sat up, looking inquisitively at the pillow. There, sitting promptly on it, was a slightly wrinkled white Post-It note.

"Yes!" Ciel exclaimed excitedly and grabbed the note. His fingers flitted about the edges of the square note, and he gripped it tightly as if it were his lifeline.

_Every day, I wonder ai__**m**__l__**e**__ssly if this is wh__**e**__re you dream of me each nigh__**t**__, snuggled __**i**__nto your warm bed._

_You k__**n**__ow, mockin__**g **__a man by not telling him of you__**r**__ conjured h__**o**__pes and wants may lead t__**o **__ut__**m**__ost trouble._

Ciel, starting to get the hang of assembling the words properly, quickly concocted the couplet's darkened words together. He decided to ignore Sebastian's repeated taunts as they surfaced within his mind.

_Meeting Room._

He could feel his palms start to sweat and his stomach lurch. He angrily crunched the letter into a heated wad and contemplated shoving the note into the trash bin, but decided against it. Seriously… The "Meeting Room"? He just _had _to put that there, didn't he? Ciel and Sebastian had coined the term "Meeting Room" as an inference for their afternoon gathering spot- in a secret annex located below the library. They would both gather there at lunch, whether it was to simply talk about their days or their school assignments… or to "talk" in more thorough ways. They could easily converse about gathering in the "Meeting Room" at lunch in front of other students, for they would think nothing of it; just that they were both very dedicated to their work.

Unbeknownst to them, their work was sometimes the last thing on their minds when they went into the secret room and locked the door….

Ciel shooed away these thoughts and stood up from the bed, hesitantly beginning to walk back to the school building. He pondered for a moment whether or not to grab an umbrella while he was in his dorm, but chose not to. After all, if the next place was the Meeting Room… he doubted he would be seeing much of outside anyway.

He shook his hair as he stepped into the rain, ducking his head down as he ran across the courtyard and lawn back into the warm school. As soon as he entered, countless people turned around to look at his unkempt, heaving countenance. They simply gave him a judging glance, then continued on their bouts of exchanging chocolates, corny poems, and warm embraces. In a way Ciel pitied them- whilst these buffoons were busy screwing around giving each other childish hugs and kisses, _he _would be hitting it up in the secret annex with the man he was so haplessly in love with.

A cunning smile spread across Ciel's lips. Yes. He was most definitely in love with Sebastian- he had known this for quite some time, but never got around to proclaiming it. Before he met Sebastian, he isolated himself from others as if he built a brick castle around himself. This automatically goes without saying, despite his utter reluctance to socialize, he dared everyone that came by his path to break through and reach him. Many people simply scoffed at Ciel's lonesome demeanor and continued about their pleasurable, oblivious lives. Sebastian was different. Instead of disregarding him as needy scum as others did, he jumped right over the metaphorical castle walls and into Ciel's stubborn heart, making himself at home within the younger male's conscience. And Ciel could honestly say that he didn't mind.

Ignoring the repeated glances he received as he ran through the hallway towards the annex, he sped up his pace as anticipation swelled over him. He wanted to see Sebastian standing in front of him in his flattering school uniform, his lips curled into a devious smile as if to say _'It took you long enough'_. He wanted to see Sebastian reprimanding him for managing to get his school uniform absolutely soaked in the rain. Hell- he just wanted to see Sebastian!

Ciel flew down the dimly lit stairwell, taking careful note to properly place his feet on each step so he didn't miss traction. He finally reached the lower level of the building, and only took slight notice of the "Staff Only" sign that adorned the metal door- he had seen it so many times already. He bolted down the hallway and took a sudden left into a smaller section of a hallway, leading to an abrupt end. Slowing down his pace, he walked cautiously down to the end of the isolated section of hallway. He stood before the door in which the Meeting Room was held in. Taking in a deep breath, he entered.

The scent of books and time filled his nostrils, sending Ciel's mind into a sense of ease as it was infallibly calmed by these smells time and time again. He looked around the room for Sebastian, and was slightly surprised to find the room unoccupied except for himself. He looked in the lone aisle way paved by books, and sighed when there wasn't a soul in sight. He sat down on the desk and put his hands to his sides, swinging his legs back and forth callously.

He waited a few moments to see if Sebastian was coming, but then contended to himself in silence that, that was not so; Sebastian was never one to keep Ciel waiting. He sighed and hopped off the desk deciding that he was at an utter dead end. Slightly perturbed, Ciel walked over to an old bookcase and took out a book he had been reading; Leaves of Gold. It was a thick book tightly wrapped within a wound string, binding the old pages with gold twining. It was a book with simple centricities, pertinent about the scripture of mankind. Whenever he found himself in the annex he would always start from where he left off (if he wasn't busy being with Sebastian of course).

As soon as he opened the book, a white piece of paper flitted out of the binding. Ciel beamed and carefully set the book back on the shelf, and picked up the note.

_On __**t**__his co__**u**__plet, the lette__**r**__s to which I feel so stro__**n**__gly __**a**__bout you will be completed. _

_Uniting togethe__**r**__, y__**ou**__ are the o__**n**__ly one for me on Valentine's __**D**__ay. _

Ciel could piece together these letters in an instant, and he inhaled a needed breath as he constructed the letters together.

_Turn around._

Ciel gasped outwardly and spun around, his senses going haywire; his heart sporadically fluttering within his chambers. He spotted a lone red rose laying on the desk he was previously sitting on, and he quirked an eyebrow in confusion. He lightly put the last couplet in his pocket and inquisitively strode over to the rose. It was blooming vibrantly, not a touch of oncoming death wading the essence of the crimson petals. He picked it up and lightly tapped it to his nose, inhaling the nice floral scent. Eyelids fluttering in pleasure, he wished that this game would be over so he could see Sebastian.

He opened his eyes and gazed back down at the desk. There was a note placed there in the spot the rose was prior! Ciel's eyes widened and he looked around the room hastily, wondering just how the hell Sebastian did that. He set the rose down and picked up the note, absorbing each etymology printed.

_The last couplet says it all. You are the only one for me on Valentine's Day- no, the only one for me everyday of my life; as long as I shall ever live. But, in order to obtain your Valentine's Day "gift", all you must do is repeat the message hidden throughout all the couplets. I can't wait to hear it._

_P.S. I suggest placing all the notes on the table in the order in which you received them, the first note you obtained at the top and the last one on the bottom._

Ciel could swear he heard empty chuckles throughout the room; most likely belonging to his malevolent counterpart. He jerked his head back and forth, looking for that damn Sebastian, but came up with nothing. The laughter ceased and he could feel the room grow dead silent again, and he sighed in exacerbation. Deciding to take Sebastian's words into consideration, Ciel clutched all of the crumpled up notes from his pocket and set them on the table in the same order Sebastian suggested.

_Isn't it od__**d**__, h__**o**__w we fi__**r**__st __**m**__et? _

_Listening to the teacher's lectures was absolutely drawling, so we dec__**i**__ded to __**t**__alk to one an__**o**__the__**r**__; both of us slightly leer__**y**__. _

_Obviousl__**y**__, y__**ou**__ are still not ve__**r**__y good at directions, although I cannot complain about your __**b**__latancy._

_Veh__**e**__mently searching for me, hoping to fin__**d **__me throughout the c__**ro**__wd of pe__**o**__ple… it is quite char__**m**__ing._

_Every day, I wonder ai__**m**__l__**e**__ssly if this is wh__**e**__re you dream of me each nigh__**t**__, snuggled __**i**__nto your warm bed._

_You k__**n**__ow, mockin__**g **__a man by not telling him of you__**r**__ conjured h__**o**__pes and wants may lead t__**o **__ut__**m**__ost trouble._

_On __**t**__his co__**u**__plet, the lette__**r**__s to which I feel so stro__**n**__gly __**a**__bout you will be completed. _

_Uniting togethe__**r**__, y__**ou**__ are the o__**n**__ly one for me on Valentine's __**D**__ay. _

Ciel could feel mystification sweep over him as he gazed upon the chain of notes. Well, now what? He gazed back at the last note ponderingly.

"'On this couplet, the letters I feel so strongly about you will be completed'," he murmured to himself and thought it over. First, he tried taking all of the bolded words and adding them all together to form a sentence, but came up with plain gibberish.

"Gah!" Ciel groaned and placed his hands on his head dejectedly. "Sebastian! Where the _hell_ are you? I'm tired of playing this game already! Come out!" He heard laughter ensue once again, this time full of low timbre and he could _clearly_ tell they belonged to Sebastian. The bastard must have been hiding behind a stack of books or something...

Ciel pursed his lips together into a displeased thin line, deciding to take one last gander. He shoved his momentary ire on the backburner, and began to initiate the gears in his mind to try and churn out a logical way of solving the riddles. He tried rearranging every other letter with the next, and taking different sentences and putting them together, but came up with more incoherent ramblings.

"Great… just fucking _great_," Ciel muttered to himself and puffed a piece of cowlick hair out of his line of view. "Initially looking at these couplets, they are randomly placed romantic crap- I bet this is your entire scheme, to make me feel like a fool. Isn't that right, Sebastian?" He spoke louder and looked about the room, waiting for his annoying partner to finally show himself. Dead air ensued, and Ciel rolled his eyes….. until finally something clicked.

_Initials…._

Ciel could feel his earlier adrenaline rush revisit him as his hands fluttered to the papers, his fingers starting to shake. He gazed down at the first letters in each of the couplets, and could feel warmth coarse throughout his body as he constructed the final message.

Time seemed to halt as he gazed down with wide eyes at the couplets. Nothing really mattered to him as of right now; not that he was incredibly late for class or how Sebastian was relishing Ciel's embarrassment every waking moment, not even the fact that there were most likely hormonal idiots standing by his locker making out. No. All that mattered; all that he could pass through his usually taciturn lips was….

"_I love you," _Ciel whispered the last message, his throat suddenly raw. His senses were more or less immobilized, and he felt his legs grow weak as he struggled to hold himself up. He traced his fingers down the line of words, circling the tip of his ring finger around "love". Warm arms silently wrapped around the back of his waist. He flinched and hardly had any time to react as Sebastian pulled him close to his chest, his lips only inches away from his ear.

"I love you too," Sebastian chuckled and kissed Ciel's neck, taking in the younger male's blushing demeanor. Ciel tried to struggle at first, wanting to deny that he was utterly touched and slightly emotional, but he gave in rather quickly as the feeling of Sebastian's breath at the bare of his neck didn't subside. His muscles relaxing, he reluctantly leaned into Sebastian's embrace and placed his hands over Sebastian's. He gave them a gentle squeeze.

"Happy Valentine's Day, bastard," Ciel grumbled, secretly grinning from ear to ear. He closed his eyes, taking in the foreign feelings of contentment and jubilation that washed over him.

And from there on out, he was convinced that Valentine's Day wasn't as annoying as he had originally perceived it to be. The holiday was actually a beautiful thing, really, it just depended on how couples celebrated it. With idiocy and hormones amok, he was sure that this day was nothing more than an inconvenient nuisance, made to specifically annoy him at wit's end. But behind the blatant show of infatuation that others seemed so bent on professing lied true love and passion, something that was nestled deep within the mesh of Ciel's previously cold heart. It took a while for him to acknowledge this wonderful sentiment, but everything was worth it in the end.

In the end, it seemed that all he needed to melt his frigid heart were four ways to spell "I love you".

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><p>**I have that old book, Leaves of Gold. It's insanely old, it's from the year 1939 ^^ Please leave a review, it'll only take you a few seconds^^ Did you get the message once Ciel lied the papers out on the table? I had such a fun time writing this quirky little fic- Happy Valentine's Day! And to the people who don't have a Valentine- so what? Treat yourself by stuffing your face with tons of chocolate and relishing in your favorite anime! :D Even though this fic took me a while to write, it was fun- and I hope you thought so too.<p> 


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